Tudor’s partnership with Formula 1 Team Visa Cash App RB materialises with the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue”.
Tucked away in a vitrine propped against a pillar in Tudor’s Watches & Wonders Geneva show booth was an unassuming black watch that many either missed completely or did not bother with a double take. It was natural, given the masterful launch of the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT that became Tudor’s poster child this year. The watch in question, though, is the newly launched Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” to mark the Swiss watchmaker’s partnership with Formula 1 team Visa Cash App RB (affectionately known as AlphaTauri prior to its rebrand).
Tudor’s involvement in motorsports is deeply rooted in history, dating back to the golden age of motor racing in the 1960s with the Tudor Watch Racing Team. This legacy continues with their recent sponsorship of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and their current partnership with Formula 1 team Visa Cash App RB. This marks their first foray into Formula 1, often regarded as the pinnacle of motor racing. The synergy between Tudor and Formula 1 feels natural, given the brand’s remarkable resurgence from the 1990s to the present day. Tudor’s Born To Dare manifesto also resonates with the daring spirit of Formula 1 drivers, given the heart-stopping manoeuvres and overtakes.
As co-drivers of Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel “Honey Badger” Ricciardo and Yuki “I wanna open a restaurant” Tsunoda, Tudor follows the stylistic lead of the racing team’s livery. A striking blue dial punctuates the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic’s previous black-out look. While Tudor could have opted for the Tudor Pelagos as the partnership watch, given the recent Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” release, the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic represents one of Tudor’s best-in-class collections.
Its 41mm matte black ceramic case (bonus points as the F1 car’s brake plates are ceramic, too) offers supreme lightness and toughness. Additionally, its 200m water resistance-rated case handles land and water conditions. Throw in Tudor’s Master Chronometer certified Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U that offers unparalleled precision (0/+5 seconds deviation) and resistance to magnetism (15,000 gauss), amongst others, and suddenly here is a watch built like a tank.
The Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” is paired with a black leather strap with blue stitches and comes with an additional fabric strap. And as Tudor rightly quoted, you can now wear the same watch as Tsunoda and Ricciardo, and even though it won’t make you any faster, at least you’ll be on time.
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